Over the past twenty years, software has moved from being a simple one-time ad hoc expenditure to becoming part of a company's overall assets. Of course, software purchases involve many other property interests, including the licenses that accompany the purchase. These licenses include both single and multiple license arrangements. For example, “boxed” software supplied with the software media normally allows a single installation of the software. Also, software that comes already stored on a personal computer typically has an associated “OEM” or original equipment manufacturer license. Also, a volume license includes software that allows multiple installations or multiple uses of the software.
There are numerous volume license options that vary depending on the type of software, the way in which the software is used and the particular manufacturer. For example, there are installation licenses that allow installation of the software on a specific number of computers. Also, there are “per processor” licenses that are based on the number of processors in a server machine, for example, on which the software is installed. In addition, there are concurrent user licenses, typically for networked computers, that allow software to be installed on any number of machines, although typically only a certain number of users may use the software at the same time.
Often, in many organizations, because software is purchased on an as-needed and ad hoc basis, these license interests are not accounted. In many instances, depending upon the size of the organization, a business may not be aware of the number of licenses or even the type of software that it has purchased. As a result, software licenses may be underutilized, or perhaps software license agreements may be unwittingly violated by unauthorized users.
As with any asset, but especially an asset as multi-faceted as software, it is desirable to institute processes that manage software in a way that allows for efficient usage, ensures necessary compliance with licenses, manages installations, forecasts software lifecycle, and streamlines the procurement process, for example. Also, such processes should permit the organization to benefit from accurately determining need and obtaining beneficial volume discounts. Similar techniques can be used for managing other commodities and other computer resources, including hardware, for example.